Bánh Canh Cua Bà Ba: Where to Eat in Ho Chi Minh City

Why go

Bánh canh cua is a thick crab noodle soup, and this street-side stall specializes in it. Bánh Canh Cua Bà Ba sits at 84/6 Nguyễn Biểu, in the old District 5 of Ho Chi Minh City.

If you want to know what a local street lunch feels like, this is a good place to find out.

From our visit

Our editor, Pixer, came away with a simple verdict: it tastes good, it feels good, and it is very much a local street food place. If you want to experience local food, it is worth stopping by.

The setting is the point. The stall runs under a tarp, with the cooking station at the back, stacks of bowls in plastic bins, steel tables and low red and green plastic stools on the concrete.

The bowls arrived in cream-colored pots with handles, set in small woven holders. The broth is thick and glossy, and ours was loaded with picked crab meat, whole shrimp and long slices of fish cake, with herbs on top and a small dish of green dipping sauce on the side.

Getting there

The address is 84/6 Nguyễn Biểu. The sign on the wall still shows the old address of Ward 1, District 5.

The easiest way is a Grab car or bike to the address. Look for the orange wall sign with the name in big white letters.

Tips for your visit

Check the lunar calendar. The sign on the wall says the stall closes on the full moon day (rằm) and the first day (mùng 1) of every lunar month.

We could not confirm opening hours from an official source, so look them up in a map app on the day you plan to go.

This is street seating, so dress for the heat.

If you are in the area earlier in the day, Cơm Tấm Nguyễn Văn Cừ, our editor’s pick for the city’s best broken rice, is close by. Go before it sells out.